


Payment Enough

by Unforth



Series: Prompt Fics: Supernatural [48]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Dean was Being Used, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, M/M, Mentions of Alastair - Freeform, Superhero Castiel (Supernatural), Supervillain Dean Winchester, mentions of blackmail
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2021-01-30 16:59:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21431635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unforth/pseuds/Unforth
Summary: Ficlet written to the prompt: Enemies to Lovers, "your tears are all the pay I'll ever need."
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Series: Prompt Fics: Supernatural [48]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/708447
Comments: 14
Kudos: 127





	Payment Enough

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Alessariel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alessariel/gifts).

“But Dean, I’ve been wondering…” Cas shifted over on the bed so they could face each other, wiping streaked tears from his face. Though he was still in reach, he felt achingly far away, and Dean repressed a shiver. 

“Ask me anything,” Dean offered. “I’m an open book.”

_ That’s an utter lie. There’s so much I never want to tell him, never want to have to confess to...but, so help me, if he asks, I’ll tell him. _

_ The sooner this conversation is over, the sooner I can go back to being the big spoon. _

“When we first met, why didn’t you just  _ ask  _ me for what you needed?”

“Instead of attacking you?” asked Dean dryly. Cas gave him a half-smile and nodded. “Right, cause  _ that  _ woulda gone over well. ‘Yo, Angel, I know you’re a famous superhero and I’m an absolute no one, but I was hoping maybe you could cry into this jar for me. No, I can’t tell you why. Just do it. Now.’ Insta-block city.”

“No,” frowned Cas, “we still live in New York City.”

“I meant on your social media, Cas.” Dean rolled his eyes. Fuck, Cas was adorable.

_ And I almost missed out on all of this... _

“I have social media?”

“Har. Har. Har. But seriously, can you tell me, honestly, that if I’d approached you with that sales pitch, I woulda closed the deal?”

Cas caught his lip between his teeth, eyeing Dean. He tossed the blanket aside, exposing Dean’s bare skin to the warm air of the room, and slowly, oh-so-splendidly and slowly, Cas’ gaze trailed down Dean’s chest, over his post-coital dick, over his thick thighs, and then back up until their eyes met.

“I’m not sure,” said Cas. “You are... _ extremely _ convincing.” Dean quirked a skeptical eyebrow, and Cas sighed. “But you’re right, it would have been a hard sell. Still, I’m not sure how you got from, ‘he won’t give it to me if I just ask’ to ‘I’d better create an evil alter-ego and play the villain until I succeed.’”

“Look, I had Alastair breathing down my throat. I wasn’t at my best. So sue me.”

“Oh,  _ I  _ won’t sue you, but I’m sure  _ someone  _ will, if they haven’t already,” laughed Cas. At least he could laugh about everything that had passed. Dean mostly felt mortified. “You terrorized the city for four months!”

“Well, it worked, didn’t it…” A flare of nerves had his hand shaking with the urge to slip under the pillow, check that the vial was still there and safe. He needed that vial, needed those tears - to break the spell, to save Sam, to free himself, finally, from his servitude. Alastair was dead, but Hell’s Demons still wanted him in their ranks, and without this payment, Dean could never escape them - even with it, he could hardly believe they’d ever truly let him go. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself, but the fear wouldn’t quell and the trembling wouldn’t fade. His eyes were still open, Cas still gorgeous and bare and open before him, but all Dean could see were the licking flames of the fire, the red light reflecting from the knife’s blade, the wicked gleam in Alastair’s eyes when he--

“Hey.” Cas’ voice, soft, gruff, gentle as salvation, dragged Dean from perdition and back into the moment. “I’m sorry. I’m only teasing, but I should have known better. I can only guess what you’ve been through but...you saved me. You could have gotten what you needed by letting Alastair have me, but instead you risked everything to rescue me.”

“Ya wouldn’t have been there in the first place if it wasn’t for me,” mumbled Dean, sick with guilt and fear.

“If they hadn’t been able to manipulate and use you, they would have found someone else,” Cas disagreed with a shake of his head. “But only you could have gotten me out of there. I can never repay you.”

“Bull,” said Dean, plastering a false, cocky smile on his face. “Your tears are all the payment I’ll ever need.”

“Really? All you’ll  _ ever  _ need?” grinned Cas.

Dean wanted to return his openness, wanted to laugh at his suggestive leer, but the pain was too new, the fear too close, the guilt far too raw. “Well, ya know…” He couldn’t even think of a riposte, and tears rimmed his eyes.

_ Shit - shit, no - I’m so close to getting what I need. Hold it together, Winchester, hold it together… _

The bed shifted and shook so abruptly that cold fright gripped Dean’s throat and he choked back a distressed noise, and then Cas was there, lying against him, hot and solid and powerful and so, so  _ real _ . Arms wrapped around him, legs tangled with his, soft lips pressed against his forehead, and steamy, musky breath suffused his nose with every breath.

“No teasing,” Cas whispered. “No masks. No lies. No heroes or villains, angels or demons. I’m here, with you, now, because I  _ want  _ to be.”  _ Liar. _ “If those tears are what will keep you safe? I’ll cry as many as you need, today, tomorrow, for as long as you’ll have me.”  _ Trusting, caring, martyr-complex, dumb ass, gorgeous, perfect  _ liar _ .  _ “Because...Dean, you’re worth it.”

_ Just shut up, Cas, stop talking, stop trying, stop being such a goddamn  _ angel, was what Dean wanted to say, but when he opened his mouth, all that came out was a gasping sob. 

“You saved me, Dean.” Cas gathered him close, held him, whispered every word tender into Dean’s ear.

_ Dammit, today was supposed to be about making  _ him  _ cry, in bliss, not me weeping like some pathetic bitch. _

“And now it’s my turn to save you, again and again, as many times as I must until you’re safe.” Cas’ words were a solemn oath, sworn with as much dedication as a marriage vow.

_ Yet here I am… _

“For as long as you need me, I’ll be here.” Cas pulled the blanket back over them, cradling Dean closely, preciously, tenderly, and for the first time in his life, Dean felt cherished, protected, safe,  _ home. _

... _ here  _ we  _ are... _

“Forever,” croaked Dean. “Always, Cas.”

_ ...and I never want to be anywhere else. _

“Then I’ll never leave.”

_ For as long as you’ll have me, I’ll never leave. _


End file.
